Sandro Bortticelli, "Venus & Mars", 1485. National Gallery, London
Eros in the Signs of the Zodiac
Find YOUR EROS HERE by Clicking on Ephemeris!
What does it mean to have Eros in a given sign?
The asteroids or ‘minor planets’ are by no means minor in their power of expression-.-Demetra George & Douglas Bloch
The planets by sign describes HOW they will orient themselves in the chart. It is the costume they wear, the approach they take, the way they express. It also gives an indication of which other archetypal figures they will like to keep in their company. This holds true for all the planets, including the asteroid Eros.
For example, Eros in a fire sign might be friends with the exuberant Jupiter in Leo but have discomfort with the sometimes cautious and testy Mercury in Cancer. In the element of earth, he might associate easily with the voluptuous Moon in Taurus, yet clash with the sometimes inaccessibly aloof Sun in Aquarius.
Sometimes planets with natural affinity find themselves estranges as when Venus is in Pisces, Eros in Sagittarius and Moon in Virgo. Then it seems we are at internal odds and unable get what we want without some part of ourselves giving up a vital need.
By studying the placements of Eros by sign, we can better integrate the diverse needs and drives of this body. In an archetypal sense, the signs have a distinct way of relating to both inner and outer experiences and acknowledging those distinctions is a step towards becoming more complete.
Richard Idemon offered the astrological community great insight in his lectures on the orientation of the signs. When speaking about the various approach or attitude the signs exhibit towards a given goal or function, Idemon shared his keen perceptions into the deeper nature of the zodiac. This orientation through the archetypes of the signs also helps interpret how planets operate in synastry, progression, composite, transit and progression.
The following delineations of Eros provide an easy reference for quick overviews and initial understanding.
Eros in Aries
Eros' forms are many and sometimes terrible, and in full strength he comes to us winged and gleaming and muscled like an athlete, with a fury and will that overpower our own and drive us before him as would a storm. --Peter Marin
Eros in Aries says, "Play with me, right here and right now!" In this sign, Eros wants action, competition, confrontation and of course, he wants to win! Eros in Aries can make a game of love complete with points to score and visiting teams to defeat! The more impossible the relationship, the more ardent he becomes.
As the first of the FIRE signs, he spends and consumes tremendous amounts of energy in the pursuit and capture of his quarry. All this fiery rabidity makes Eros in Aries a very active and perpetually busy lover. Eros here, whether in the chart of a male or female, can exhibit traditional romantic behavior not unlike a knight of old. He is robust, gallant and ever dashing off to slay dragons or rescue damsels, or helpless men, in distress.
Eros in Taurus
This way, my love, this way, come here and haste to rest the whole night in my arms. I worship your lovely curly hair; I am consumed with ardent desire. Oh! Eros, in thy mercy, compel him to my bed. --Aristophanes
Eros in Taurus says "Hold me, touch me, kiss me, take me." Here Eros has little interest in the aggressive ardency of Aries. Taurus is not responsive to getting up at 6 a.m. to do fifty laps at the pool and he would rather not have to compete with anyone to get what he wants. Eros has a different orientation in this sign, namely, an orientation towards pleasure. That means pure and natural, undiluted personal and sensual gratification.
This pleasure-seeking eye of the bull is ever on the niceties of sensuality whether they be in the dinning room, on the massage table or in a king size bed. He finds joy in tangible pursuits that revolve around making the body feel good as well as the pleasure of acquisition. Taurus can also become ferociously possessive of those pleasures in an extremely dogmatic way.
Eros in Gemini
…and the most beautiful words ever spoken, I have not yet said to you. --Nazim Hikmet
Eros in Gemini says, "If you want me, talk to me!" Here Eros thrives on the interaction of ideas, and the intellectual stimulation found in sharing observations, data and little understood facts. He likes it known how well he comprehends a subject and how much he could teach about it. Eros in Gemini wants to hear the words, or receive little cards with messages of love, much more than he wants to get a box of chocolates or even a massage!
Gemini governs the realm of the mind, the known universe, its facts and fancies. When Eros dresses in this outfit, he seeks intimacy first through intellectual rapport and that usually means talking. The mere act of communication can stimulate this position of Eros into desires for deeper intimacy and union, provided one listens to the discourse. The beloved’s inattention to detail or loss of concentration on the subject kills a genuine pursuit faster here than in any other sign.
Curiosity about how things work, why people behave in a certain way, or where some tradition began all contribute to the stimulating mental atmosphere where Eros in Gemini likes to live. He uses knowledge as a lure, his mind as bait and his wit as reward. He also uses these intellectual instruments as a bastion against the pain and suffering of the emotional world.
The first of the AIR signs, Eros in Gemini has a sense of mental objectivity and a distinct need for space. Although drawn irrefutably to the depths of intimacy by the nature of Eros itself, in this sign he may at times do more talking or reading about emotional closeness than going out and experiencing it.
Eros in Cancer
A mean young man meets a witch, who says she will be his lover forever if he brings her the heart of his mother. He runs home, kills his mother and cuts out her heart. As he is running back through the forest, he trips and falls, dropping the heart. In a concerned tone, the heart says to him, "Son, did you hurt yourself?" --Old Jewish Parable
Eros in Cancer says, "share your joy and pain with me". In this sign, Eros experiences a certain measure of affinity and ease. Here the boundaries can dissolve into a space of intimate rapport where the feelings, emotions, fears, pains and sorrows of two people merge and mingle into one. In cancer, Eros does not hesitate at the threshold of erotic intimacy. Once inside, he simply never wants to leave.
Eros in Cancer longs to be wanted and he craves the significant other’s attention and deep need for attachment. Nurturing, sustaining and mothering all arise with this archetype creating a potent link that can enhance life as well as strangle it to death. It is the image of the umbilical cord that offers succor but may also become toxic if it is not severed at the necessary time.
Eros in Leo
Call me a she-lion, then, if you like and Scylla, dweller on the Tuscan cliff. For I have touched your heart in the vital spot. --Euripides
Eros in Leo says, "watch me, follow me, worship me". The operant word in this phrase is me. Eros in Leo is similar to his fiery counterpart Aries in the desire for action although here Leo’s need diverges in its tremendous longing for attention and adoration. Where Aries likes a playmate and wants, of course, to be first, Leo needs the devotional attention and unfailing love of those who touch his life. Unfortunately, this is often just what he feels is missing.
Eros in this position has a strong desire to feel special, unique and distinctive. The second of the FIRE signs, Eros in Leo requires energy and returns it in playful abundance as well. He dazzles in the spot-light of admiration and gives priority to the creative, artistic side of life.
Eros in Virgo
..how can I find a path towards my soul's real nature that begins right here where I am shipwrecked, rather than in pious hopes for a perfect life? --Harriet Eisman
Eros in Virgo says, "hold me, touch me, buy me things, and explain to me why you are doing it." This second of the EARTH signs has all the tangible desires of Taurus with the added propensity to analyze intentions and rate them on a scale of one to ten. These discriminating qualities of Virgo can come to the fore with a check list approach to romantic love.
Virgo has tremendous perceptions and is not a sign to hesitate using them on the beloved. Sometimes this can equate with judgments and criticism, real wet blankets for erotic experiences. This perceptiveness can also turn inward were it manifests as a self-criticism, an equally damaging trait. An inclination to carry out a running commentary on the attributes and failings of any given moment may mingle with passion like oil and water.
Eros in Virgo does have a very lusty and luscious desire nature that shares an affinity with epithemia. The material elements of life appraise high on the scale of importance and that means physical contact, physical nurturing and physical pleasure. They can abide a great deal of touching, tasting and sensing too. Eros here is not afraid to get close and stay close, if the special other turns out to be good enough.
Eros in Libra
Eros, god of love, distilling liquid desire down upon the eyes, bringing sweet pleasure to the souls of those against whom you make war, never to me may you show yourself to my hurt nor ever come but in due measure and harmony.----Euripides
Eros in Libra says, "share the elegant beauty of life with me!" This Eros wants above all to participate with a significant other in many splendid activities. Libra is the sign of personal one-to-one relationships and Eros here has all the longings for the excellence and refinement that exemplify Libra. In this position, life needs to unfold pleasantly and in the company of a beloved other.
Being the second of the AIR signs, Eros in Libra has the ability to objectify life, and enjoys the communication of ideas. Talking , interpreting, counseling and the giving and receiving of feedback all rate high on the list of Libra’s good times. This is a refined position for Eros, a sign that inherently honors the social niceties of the times and enjoys the sophistication of good manners and pleasant exchange. Unless, of course, they are flipping into their antagonistic side. Then, from Libra erupts the disputing debater or Devil’s advocate par excellent!
Eros in Scorpio
Come to me, and I shall be the sun round which you are locked in orbit,
and my rays shall lay bare the secrets you keep from each other, and I,
who possess charms and powers of which you have no inkling, shall
control and possess and destroy you!" -- Anne Rice The Vampire ArmanEros in Scorpio says, "merge with me in the searing furnace of the souls so that together we may be transformed." Eros in Scorpio speaks bluntly. His desires are potent, ardent and fixed and often involve a great deal of intense intimacy that can make the light-hearted falter. Eros in this sign is interested in a very personal and erotic form of relating that has no qualms about ripping off the surface scab of social superficiality to expose the true nature of ones soul beneath. They generally do not hold back.
Eros here seeks, often through intense and possibly taboo sexual experiences, the gift of merging, union and transformation. This is the break on through to the other side that Jim Morrison echoed. He invites you to the threshold and if you enter, there is no turning back. You will transform or perish, or both.
Eros here may be in the sign of his greatest affinity. The second WATER sign, Scorpio relates well to the powerful hungers exhibited by Eros and there is little to modify or temper. Scorpio is not afraid to get too close. He does not shun intimacy, physical or otherwise. He is not nervous about bodily functions, losing his freedom, sharing his emotions or surrendering his mind. He just plain is not nervous or afraid of much, except maybe losing control.
Eros in Sagittarius
Imagine, if you can, silver leaves waving above a pool of gold filled with singing fishes. Twin moons in an alien sky. If you like, I'll show them to you and they will be, I promise you, the dullest part of the journey. Come with me and I will show you sights that you have never dreamed of. Or stay behind, and regret it until your dying day...--William Hartnell as Doctor Who
Eros in Sagittarius says, "expand my horizons and explore the unknown with me!" This placement of Eros needs widespread goals for the future and the space, energy and enthusiasm to live them out. Spontaneous, exuberant, adventurous and fickle, Eros here prefers a lively and challenging experience with the beloved, one that will take him to the limitless corners of the universe. If someone is going to be with Eros in Sagittarius, they best get ready to soar.
This third FIRE sign has enormous sexual energy and will become bored if the relationship does not develop into broader and richer potentials, or offer new horizons. Travel is his watchword and that does not necessarily mean physically jumping on a plane and heading for a distant culture. The travel Sagittarius has in mind involves the exploration of any previously unknown realm. This includes symbolic journeys through intellectual concepts, philosophical ideas, spiritual beliefs and artistic creations.
Eros in Capricorn
Do you see how unclothed Love smiles and looks so gentle? He has no torches, nor bows which he could bend. But in one of his hands he bears flowers, in the other a fish. That's to say he sets the law on land and sea. --Alciato
Eros in Capricorn says, "touch me, buy me things, and balance the books if you think you are qualified". This position of Eros has powerful concepts about what is good and what is good enough. There is a need for competence and capability that the earthy sign of Taurus would never consider important. Eros in Capricorn is looking for a type of tangible perfection in the other or failing that, a certificate of completion at least.
Capricorn may sublimate its earthy and very ardent desires for sensual contact and intimacy through the ever-present demands of work. Productivity, attainment, and a feeling of self-sufficiency are vital qualities for Capricorn and they like to see them in the partner as well as themselves.
The third of the EARTH signs, Eros in Capricorn has a powerful need to connect in a physical sense and may also have equally powerful reservations, fears and objections to intimacy. Caution is the watchword. This sign is acknowledged as one of the most difficult to get to know. They do not open up easily and they may not stay open long.
The paradox is that Capricorn is extremely sensual and sexual in a very earthy, potent, Pan-like way. Its symbol is half goat after all and the implication of fertility and sexuality imbibe the image. They have all the desires of Taurus lounging side by side with their deep well of fear.
Eros in Aquarius
…I have never seen nor heard your name without a shiver half of delight, half of anxiety --Edgar Allan Poe
Eros in Aquarius says, "surprise me, shock me, amazement me!" This position of Eros carries a high voltage charge with stimulating encounters that need a lot of air space to conduct electromagnetic charms. Eros in Aquarius desires the weird, the wonderful and the unusual. He thrives on the unexpected and luxuriates in situations that make the more traditional signs squirm with embarrassment.
Eros in the sign of the Water Bearer has a disposition bordering on the bizarre. He crosses boundaries as if they did not exist and skips the lines of gender and protocol like a child playing hop-scotch. If it is unusual and invigorating, he is probably interested.
The third of the AIR signs, Eros in Aquarius gets bored with routine and needs intriguing conversation and somewhat unconventional themes to keep his interest aroused. He also needs a lot of freedom.
Eros in Pisces
Held fast in a faience of sea changes
While waves queue offshore in glittering strings;
Till love’s continuum rearranges,
The persevering sea harbors all things.--E.F. MosherEros in Pisces says, "merge into the depths with me"! Here Eros wants to lose all sense of where his being ends and another begins. Eros in Pisces desires a return to paradise, a drink from the Holy Grail and union with the divine. He is willing to give up his own identity, allowing it to melt and merge with the beloved until they are no longer distinct but part of a greater whole. This is the state of the mystic and the universe of the quantum physicist. It is the persistent longing of Pisces and the dreaded fear of almost every other sign. Eros here could be in its exaltation, the affinity is that great.
This position of Eros, the third of the WATER signs, represents the dissolving of the self into the other and all the pain, longing, suffering and ecstasy that process may involve. It also embraces the mysterious sense of the ineffable, something seldom glimpsed for long in any relationship. It suggests the beauty and creativity seen only through the lives of lovers who have touched each other’s spirits. It is indeed a big call for the average relationship to achieve.
Eros in the Houses
Eros brings beauty, meaning and divinity into our lives. It comes to us through a very particular epiphany, a passionate inspiration present in a particular lover, teacher, melody, or landscape. We long to follow it always. But this is not the whole story. For Eros also brings us obsessions, cruelty, abandonment, and betrayal. It may come through anguish."--Harriet Eisman
The asteroid Eros, like any planet in the astrological chart, represents a basic human need, drive or impulse. As Mars symbolizes the drive or urge towards assertiveness, action and direction, Eros symbolizes the urge towards erotic love and the transformations offered by this experience. The PLANETS represent the nature of an inherent impelling force in us, as well as a piece of our own soul, and Eros’s impulsion is towards union of a particular kind.
The SIGNS indicates how the needs and drives of the planets will express. Just as Mars in Leo may have a dramatic flare and fixedness to its drive to take action, so Eros in Leo would have a flamboyant spark in its approach to erotic love. The signs describe the way a need functions.
The HOUSES in turn represent areas of life, inner and outer. They symbolize the environment where the need or drive is acting out. The ruler on the house cups and the sign or signs contained in the house suggest the climate found in that environment. Any planets residing in a given house indicates that the needs and drives implied by them tend to operate strongly in that area of life. Entering or doing that area of life will evoke the needs and drives of the planets found there. We meet those planets, and the archetypal characters they symbolize, in that area of life.
Where Eros is by house indicates the environment, people or experiences that the god of love affiliates with. Howard Sasportas, in his book The Twelve Houses, states:
Any planet or sign in a house always suggests the most natural way to unfold the life plan in the area of life the house represents.
The system of derivative houses may also help elucidate experiences linked with the Eros house positions and is applied to the following cookbook descriptions. The derivative approach is controversial: some astrologers use it with impunity; other authors feel it is only useful in Horary charts. As with the house systems, each individual must experiment and use what they find works best.
The following cookbook style interpretation of Eros through the houses focus mainly on natal positions although they operate for positions by transit or progression as well. A much more detailed working of Eros through the houses and by transit and progression can be studied in the soon to be released text: Asteroid 433 Eros: The Astrology of Love
Eros in the First House
And as concerning reality the impression we get of it is not the same as the perception. --Aristotle
When Eros resides in the first house of the natal chart, it gains additional significance. This is especially true if it is found within ten degrees either side of the Ascendant. Here Eros takes on first house importance adding his flavor to the sign or signs and any other planets found there.
In this position, Eros contributes towards the general approach to life. It may indicate how plans are initiated, action taken or dilemmas worked out. It may not mean that we have an erotic approach to initiation, but that we tend to encounter the erotic when taking action or presenting ourselves to the world.
Eros in the Second
May I ask whether you inherited most of your possessions or acquired them yourself? --Plato
The second house traditionally rules money, values, resources and innate capabilities. It has a lot to do with valuing our self as a unique individual and can give indications of tangible longings, desires and aspirations.
People with Eros in the second house may value the erotic union as a resource or reserve. An erotic manner may reside with them comfortably like an inborn perception of what they are worth, what they deem estimable. This may actualize as a subtle undertone in some, or a brash and even overbearing urgency in others.
Eros in the Third House
I'm skilled at introducing new ideas every time out, each one different from the other and all of them good.--Aristophanes
The third house traditionally deals with ideas, communication, learning, short journeys and siblings. It describes the early environment and local community, left brain activity or the rational mind, and our attitude to leaning and knowledge in general. If consciousness is, as Richard Idemon used to say, "what we think and what we think we think," the third house is the arena of that consciousness. It is the way in which we think we perceive the environment.
When Eros resides in the third house, communication itself can become an erotic experience. The written and expressed word, the transmission of information and the act of learning or teaching may all create an experience of erotic transformation for those involved. These can be people who really enjoy writing letters, keeping a diary or journal or getting up and making a speech.
Eros in the Fourth House
Now after my long day's labour sloping towards an evening of repose, has relaxed my energies by suggesting the charms of family life. --Cicero
The forth house is the domain of the family, emotional security and sense of belonging at the very roots of our being. Astrologer Joanne Wickenburg says, if the Ascendant is WHO you are, the IC, and subsequent fourth house, is WHAT you are. Often it also represents what we like to hide from others.
This house symbolizes the external home, the family emotional inheritance, a parent, domestic affairs and the country of origin. When Eros is found in this house the erotic links closely together with experiences of home and family. Eros loves to hide in the fourth house and there may be a secretive approach to erotic love.
Eros in the Fifth House
and those who devote themselves to music and letters and to the various contests, some by exhibiting their strength and others their artistic skill, win for themselves greater honor. --Isocrates
The fifth house is the traditional residence of entertainment. It encompasses the playful heart, the creative spirit and romantic pleasures. It is the house of the inner child and the outer speculator, the actual children and the latent rock star in everyone.
The fifth house has to do with self-expression and that includes offspring, art work, novels, and romances because they all activate the heart and engender feelings of uniqueness that makes us feel special. That is, when everything is going smoothly. These areas of life also put us in a place of utmost vulnerability not just to the art critic and the gene pool but to those experiencing the inner child. The fifth house rules speculation because we risk the child-like and creative qualities in the harsh reality of potential judgment and condemnation. There is no guarantee how we will measure up.
Eros in the Sixth
In constructing a homestead, we have to provide for the stock which it is to shelter, and for its health and well being.--Aristotle
The sixth house traditionally represents daily routine, work and employment, health of the body and health services, small domestic pets, service in general, tools and gadgets. The common thread here includes the need to establish ritual and routine, through organization, commitment and concern, in the every day life. It also describes the ways and means we accomplish and perfect those daily routine tasks.
When Eros is found in the house of skill development, service, health and daily routine, one may have some finely tuned proficiency when it comes to passionate and romantic love. They may see the body as a vessel that provides for the delights and erotic passions of the beloved and be inclined to perfect their ability to give and receive those delights. They may find the merging and transformation an erotic union offers desirable on a daily basis!
Eros in the Seventh House
When marriage is on equal terms, in my opinion it is no cause for dread; so never may the love of the mightier gods cast on me its irresistible glance. --Aeschylus
The seventh house traditionally represents personal one-to-one relationships including marriage, business partnerships, counselors and clients, long-term unions, or even open adversaries that engage in on going debate. In this house, commitment reigns although the stage often hosts more than a dance for two.
Eros in the seventh prefers close partnerships to include erotic, transformational unions of the most powerful kind. The very nature of erotic love, however, suggests the stability, commitment and endurance of the seventh house (a divorced relationship involving children can last a life-time) contradicts the risk taking, changeable nature of Eros. Enter the triangle.
Eros in the Eighth House
How does one describe a trip to the underworld? --Homer
The eighth house traditionally rules sex, death and taxes, and their transformational effects. It also pertains to depth analysis, research and occult knowledge. The eighth house rules things of mystery, intrigue and intensity. The thread that binds the eighth house scenery together consists of elements in life that require us to make a leap of faith, to take a risk and discover the unknown within. There are no guarantees in the eighth and no way to be sure that once we make a commitment to intimacy, a belief system or a political party, that the implicit trust will be honored.
Eros in the eighth suggests an affinity with the purpose of the house: to take risks, to offer up something precious, to feel to the depths of the soul and to hope for transformation in return. Those with Eros in this house have an increased desire to experience the erotic on a very deep level of their existence. They may also have a highly increased fear around doing so. The two can go hand in hand.
Eros in the Ninth House
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? --St. Paul
The ninth house traditionally rules spiritual beliefs, long journeys, higher education, foreign cultures, ceremonies and rituals, publishing and clergymen. These categories all have the common effect of exposing us to areas of mind, body or spirit, that have never been experienced before. Thus, Dennis Elwell described the ninth house as an exploration into the unknown.
When Eros falls in the ninth house, discovery of new and previously incomprehensible concepts, peoples or vistas ignite feelings of passionate wonder and intrigue. This Eros is aroused by new information, strange landscapes and mysterious cultures. The act of gaining this information can be an erotic experience in itself.
Eros in the Tenth House
He was, therefore, elated over his fame and had recourse to many other far more ambitious undertakings which would serve to increase the dominant position of his native state. --Siculus
The midheaven (MC) and the corresponding tenth house traditionally denotes the career, mission or profession, one of the parents, and the social image and known reputation. Howard Sasportas said that the qualities of any sign or planet in the tenth house correspond to what is most visible and accessible to others. It is what stands out.
The tenth house indicates how others perceive us and those with Eros here want the world to know they are passionate, erotic, potent and charismatic. The way they dress, speak and move may all have a subtle undertone of Eros. Some people with this placement may even make a career out of studying, teaching or living out the erotic and transformational side of life. Certainly, it would be of major importance for them to express, especially if early childhood experiences lead to the denial and repression of the god of love.
Eros in the Eleventh House
They are each, then, others of each other, in groups; for they cannot be so one at a time... --Plato
The eleventh house is traditionally associated with groups, hopes and wishes, membership in organizations, relationships to friends and advisors and goals for the future. It has been tagged as the desire to be more than what we already are, as happens when joined to a group or association. It is also the desire to be everything we can possibly be, as reflected in what we wish and hope for. This house represents a stretching beyond the individual identity that pushes out into the lager world as a whole.
When Eros is found in the eleventh house, friendships, groups and goals take on a potent and possibly passionate quality. We may experience friends as triggers for erotic feelings, transformations or creative turning points. Whether a person with an eleventh house Eros passionately merges with a friend or that friendship inspires them to experience the erotic through another person matters little. The important point is that through friendship, the god of love awakens.
Eros in the Twelfth House
It is some solemn secret, surely, that you enshroud in mystery. --Aeschylus
The twelfth house is a place of mystery. Isabel Hickey called it the house of drawn shades, a region where we must serve or suffer. Traditionally it rules secret enemies, institutions such as prisons, hospitals and asylums and other places of generalized pain and suffering, hidden activities, exile and seclusion.
Sometimes Eros here awakens through injury, suffering or confinement. The case of the doctor and patient, alcoholic and counselor, or even bereaved brother and widow come to mind. There can even be an erotic relationship between criminal and the officer of the law, as in the archetypal relationship between the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his equally genius archenemy, Professor Moriarty. These kinds of unions make short work of the traditionally acceptable and they may embody an extreme bitterness, yet their potential for transform is infinite. The very taboo and suffering quality seems to make them all the more potent.
Eros in Aspect to the Planets
The madness of being in love clearly shows many characteristics of soul activity: interference with plans and projects, long periods of time spent in daydream and reverie, projection of ideal fantasies onto the loved person confusion about personal goals and values, a weakening of willpower all of these reveal an activation of the deeper strata of the soul. --Thomas Moore
The aspects link the planets, points and angles in the natal chart creating an indivisible bond between them. They consist of the angular division of a circle, 360 degrees, into different sized pieces of pie. Some of the divisions form stronger or more harmonious links than others, although the vital point is that they are linked at all.
One way of viewing the aspects between Eros and the other bodies in the chart is to consider that Eros is holding a festivity and the other planets the guests. How would Venus enjoy a feast with Eros? How would Saturn? Would he dive in or nibble the edges? Would he simply lose his appetite altogether? Each planet has a different orientation towards the experience of Eros. Each will taste, digest, assimilate or reject that experience in different ways. Whether it inspires arousal or repulsion, a connection by aspect to Eros will have its effect.
Aspects between planets bond them for better or worse. Usually it is a unique combination of both. If we have a grand cross between Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, we only have to evoke one of the planets to activate them all. If we assert ourselves against a threatening situation (mars) we will automatically evoke the containment or authority of Saturn, the expansive enthusiasm of Jupiter and Venus’s desire to create harmony or extract value. We can not do one without the others when they link by aspect.
This sheds light on the effects of any unaspected planets in the chart. If Mars is unaspected, the act of assertion may evoke nothing but the aggression itself. It may function in isolation because it has no links with the other bodies. Once awakened, it may be hard to integrate any self or external control (Saturn), any arbitration or diplomacy (Venus), or any sense of meaning or purpose (Jupiter). The pure and possibly raw aggression may be one big event all to itself with nothing to modify the energy in any way.
The nature of the aspect, whether it be a trine, square, inconjunct or opposition, holds some significance yet it is more important to first established if there is a connection of any kind, and what that connection may represent. If the Moon aspects Mars, their will be an ignition of the feeling nature quite different from the Moon in aspects to Neptune. It matters little if the aspect is so called soft or hard, good or bad. There are differences certainly, yet the primary signification of the planets being connected to each other remains unchanged. This holds especially true with the transits of the outer planets. A sextile from transiting Pluto can coincide with every bit as profound an emotional experience as a square or opposition. It matters more that one is being touched by the god and less from what angle that god is doing the touching.
With that in mind for Eros, the conjunction and opposition are the most consequential in the natal chart, although the ‘lesser’ aspects should be considered and evaluated as well. As far as orbs go, use what works best and what brings the most consistent and reliable results. A larger orb may be preferable for the conjunctions and oppositions, perhaps up to 10 or even 12 degrees when involving the Sun or Moon, with progressively tighter orbs for the square, trine, and tighter still for the sextile and inconjuncts. The minor aspects would want orbs of no less than 1.5 to 2 degrees, the parallel being 1.5 degrees to exact. The most important consideration to keep in mind is that if Eros, or any planet, acts like it is in aspect to another planet, even if the orb is wide, then it probably is. Results speak louder than rules.
Eros by Transit or Progression
"Eros remains a power beyond our social order and morality; he stalks, goads, ruins, and transforms us, and sometimes he lifts us as if on the palm of a huge hand into regions that astonish and terrify us and that we would never, otherwise, have entered. For desire appears to us from the corners of the earth or the depths of self with a force and urgency and sometimes a destructiveness so powerful we cannot help ascribing them to a god, for nothing else--no psychologizing, no moralizing--makes any sense." --Peter Merin
As Eros moves through the sky by transit, progression or even converse progression, it makes aspects back to all the planets and points in the natal chart. Likewise, the rest of the planets by transit will periodically make aspects back to the natal and progressed positions of Eros. Either way, these contacts often coincide with the times when erotic love and creative power issues awakens.
Some aspects and particular planet combinations appear to have a greater impact than others, corresponding to more specific inner and outer events. Watching the transits to and from Eros over a variety of charts is the best way to familiarize oneself with the various possible results.
Transits of any kind are often associated with outer events, although the initial effect is usually inner. Some part of the psyche, some interior figure or archetype, awakens. Concurrent with the nature of the transit, house and sign position, once awake it generally starts looking around for recognition. That usually means it looks for a crown, a throne and appropriate patronage. If the recognition is readily forthcoming and conscious awareness is placed on the needs, desires and offering of the figure, often what it represents transforms into what we consciously express without a hint of an outer event. We simple add the new aspect of being into the multiplicity of our conscious selves.
If, on the other hand, the needs and wants of the figure are denied by consciousness, we will met them in the daily life as a person, place or thing. In this case, the event is often disruptive although it can also be exhilarating. This assures, one way or another, our experience of the waking archetype.
In the case of Eros, the intensity of emotions, the sensations of physical longings and the potency of desire wanting to express quite frequently manifests itself as an attraction to an enticing other. This can range from another real life human being, to a long distance or otherwise impossible contact, an idealize public figure, a creative project or set of glorified beliefs or doctrines. Most frequently, it has a human component which often makes the compulsive feelings of love merge with the desire for sexual intimacy. In this case, transits involving Eros may coincide with the appearance of a specific individual that captivates the heart and enraptures the soul.
Learn more about asteroid 433 Eros and Kim's personalized Eros Reports HERE.
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